

r^^^rl^^^r 


^ 


51 


V£) 


$& 


W 
















S'i 


55J 

































PN 6331 
,G5 

Copy 1 



LITTLE GEMS lh-~ * 

o 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



. Sai : ' 



©^.OYinp^ri^i $> 

shelf :Q.sr 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



. S^ffi l^*^*. 



— < LITTLE GEMS 



,•-4- 



■m»~ 



OF 



LITERATURE 



FOR 



MEMORIZING 



/ 









NEW YORK : 

Potter, Ainsworth & Co. 



i COPYRIGHTED, 

1882, 
By POTTER, AINSWORTH & CO. 



PREFACE. 



It is customary, in man)' of our best schools, for the pupils 
to commit to memory and repeat short quotations from our 
best authors. The practice cannot be too highly commended. 
By it the memory is strengthened, a wider and better knowl- 
edge of language obtained, and a taste for a pure and enno- 
bling literature developed. To furnish, for children of all ages, 
pointed selections suitable for such exercises, is the object of 
this little book. 

As few schools are graded in the same manner — and many 
not at all — no arbitral division is here made into "years" or 
"classes"; but, beginning with simple and sprightl}* gems of 
poetry for "the little ones," the progress is steadily upward 
toward the standard reached on the last pages. 

It is recommended that every scholar should recite a few 
lines each week. This can be arranged so as to come between 
regular recitations, or may be used so as to add materially to 
the interest of rhetorical or opening exercises. In every case 
let the pupil repeat the passage distinctly, giving, if possible, 
the name of the author, with his time and place of birth. A 
parenthesis containing such data follows many of the selec- 
tions. Let the teacher add all necessary explanation, and by 
judicious remark and commendation furnish the necessary in- 
centive to further effort. 

The compiler acknowledges his special indebtedness to 
Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Charles Scribner's Sons, 
G. P. Putnam's Sons, and D. Appleton & Co., for permission 
to use selections from their copyright works. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



I. 

Flowers are springing-, 
• Birds are singing, 
Bees are humming all around ; 
Joy and pleasure, 
Without measure, 
Welcome us in every sound. 

— Matthias Barr, 

II. 

Only a baby small 

Dropt from the skies ; 
Only a laughing face, 

Two sunny eyes ; 
Only two cherry lips, 

One chubby nose ; 
Only two little hands, 

Ten little toes. 

— Matthias Barr. 

III. 

I have a little sister, 

She's only two years old ; 
But she's a little darling, 

And worth her weight in gold. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



IV. 

Once there was a little boy, 

With curly hair and pleasant eye, 

A boy who always told the truth, 
And never, never told a lie. 

V. 

My dear little child, 
Be gentle and mild ; 
For what can you get 
By passion and fret, 
But sorrow and shame, 
A very bad name, 
The loss of your peace, 
And guilt in its place. 

VI. 

I have a little doll, 

I take care of her clothes ; 
She has soft flaxen hair, 

And her name is Rose. 
She has pretty blue eyes 

And a very small nose, 
And a sweet little mouth, — 

And her name is Rose. 

VII. 

Little drops of water, 

Little grains of sand, 
Make the mighty ocean 

And the pleasant land. 

— Brewer. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



VIII. 
Little children, you must seek 
Rather to be good than wise, 
For the thoughts you do not speak 
Shine out in your cheeks and eyes. 
(Ohio, 1820.) —Alice Cary. 

IX. 

If ever I see 

On bush or tree 
Voung birds in their pretty nest, 

I must not in play 

Steal the birds away, 
To grieve their mother's breast. 

X. 

I have a little dog, 

With long, white, flowing curls, 
And bright, black, sparkling eyes ; 

And he loves little girls. 

XL 

Darling little ringers, 

Never, never still ! 
Make them, Heavenly Father, 

Always do Thy will. 

— Apples of Gold. 

XII. 

A place for everything, and everything in its place. 
(Mass., 1706.) —Franklin. 



8 LITTLE GEMS. 



XIII. 

Did you ever see our baby — 
Little Tot ? 
With her eyes so sparkling bright, 
And her skin so lily white, 
Lips and cheeks of rosy light ? 
Tell you what, 
She is just the sweetest baby 
In the lot. 

XIV. 

All things bright and beautiful, 
All creatures great and small, 
All things wise and wonderful, — 
The Lord God made them all. 
(Ireland, 1823.) — C. F. Alexander. 

XV. 

I know a child, and who she is 

I'll tell you by and by, 
When mamma says, ' ' Do this " or " that, ' ' 

She says, "What for?" and "Why?" 
She' d be a better child by far, 

If she would say, "I'll try. ' ' 

—Aunt Effie's Rhymes. 

XVI. 

If you tried, and have not won, 

Never stop for crying ; 
All that's great and good is done 

Just by patient trying. 
(Ohio, 1824.) — Phcebe Cary. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



XVII. 

God made the sky that looks so blue ; 

He made the grass so green ; 
He made the flowers that smell so sweet, 

In pretty colors seen. 
(England, 1783.) —Jane Taylor. 

XVIII. 

What does little birdie say, 
In her nest at peep of day ? 
" Let me fly," says little birdie ; 
' ' Mother, let me fly away. ' ' 
Birdie, rest a little longer, 
Till thy little wings are stronger. 
So she rests a little longer, 
Then she flies away. 

What does little baby say, 
In her bed at peep of day ? 
Baby says, like little birdie, 
' ' Let me rise, and fly away. ' ' 
Baby, sleep a little longer, 
Till thy little limbs are stronger. 
If she sleeps a little longer, 
Baby too shall fly away. 
(England, 1809.) — Alfred Tennyson. 

XIX. 

Birds in their little nests agree ; 

And 'tis a shameful sight, 
When children of one family 

Fall out and chide and fight. 
(England, 1674.) —Watts. 



10 LITTLE GEMS. 



XX. 

Suppose your task, my little man, 

Is very hard to get, 
Will it make it any easier 
For you to sit and fret ? 
Then wouldn't it be wiser 

Than waiting, like a dunce, 
.To go to work in earnest 

And learn the thing at once ? 
(Ohio, 1824.) — Phcebe Cary. 

XXI. 

How many deeds of kindness 

A little child may do, 
Although it has so little strength, 

And little wisdom too ! 
It wants a loving spirit, 

Much more than strength, to prove 
How many things a child may do 

For others, by its love. 

XXII. 

If you find your task is hard, 

Try, try again ; 
Time will bring you your reward ; 

Try, try again ; 
All that other folks can do, 
Why, with patience, should not you ? 
Only keep this rule in view, 

"Try, try again." 



LITTLE GEMS. 



XXIII. 

Work while you work, play while you play ; 
This is the way to be cheerful and gay. 
All that you do, do with your might ; 
Things done by halves are never done right. 

— M. A. Stodart. 

XXIV. 

Awake, little mortals ! 
No harvest for those 
Who waste their best hours 

In slothful repose. 
Come out — to the morning, 

All bright things belong — 
And listen awhile 

To the honey-bee's song, 

Merrily singing, 

Busily winging, 

Industry ever its own reward bringing. 

XXV. 

Hold up your head, my little man ; 
Throw back your shoulders, if you can, 

And give your lungs full room to play. 
Toe out, not in, like a circus clown ; 
Just let your arms hang loosely down, 
% And walk as though you knew the way. 

— Our Little Ones. 

XXVI. 

We can do more good by being good than in any other way. 
(England, 1745.) —Rowland Hill. 



12 LITTLE GEMS. 



XXVII. 

Little deeds of kindness, 
Little words of love, 

Make our earth an Eden, 
Like the heaven above. 



-Brewer. 



XXVIII. 

Little Miss Brier was handsome and bright, 

Her leaves were dark green, and her flowers were pure 

white ; 

But all who came nigh her 

Were so worried by her, 

They'd go out of their way to keep clear of the brier. 

- — Anna Bache. 

XXIX. 

I like little pussy, 

Her coat is so warm ; 
And if I don' t hurt her, 

She'll do me no harm. 
So I'll not pull her tail, 

Nor drive her away, 
But pussy and I 

Very gently will play ; 
She shal] sit by my side, • 

And I' 11 give her some food ; 
And she'll love me, because 

I am gentle and good. 
('England, 1783.) —Jane Taylor. . 



LITTLE GEMS. 13 



The brown owl sits in the ivy-bush, 
And she looketh wondrous wise. 

With a hornv beak beneath her cowl, 
And a pair of large, round eves. 

— Aunt Effie's Rhymes. 

XXXI. 

Early to bed, and early to rise, 
Makes men healthy, wealthy, and wise. 
(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 

XXXII. 

My dog and I are faithful friends, 

We run and play together ; 
We tramp across the hills and fields 

When it is pleasant weather. 

And when from school with eager haste 

I come along the street, 
He hurries on with bounding step, 

My glad return to greet. 

— Susan Jewett. 

XXXIII. 

Sleep, baby, sleep ! 

Thy father watches the sheep ; 
Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree, 
And down falls a little dream on thee. 

Sleep, baby, sleep ! 

— From the German. 



14 LITTLE GEMS. 



XXXIV. 

The little birds, how sweet they sing ! 

Oh, let them joyous live ! 
And never seek to take the life 

That you can never give. 

— D. C. COLESWORTHY. 

XXXV. 

Apples in the orchard, 

Mellowing one by one, 
Strawberries upturning 

Soft cheeks to the sun ; 
Roses faint with sweetness, 

Lilies fair of face, 
Drowsy scents and murmurs 

Haunting every place ; 
Beams of golden sunshine, 

Moonlight bright as day,— 
Don't you think the summer's 

Pleasanter than May? 
(New Hampshire, 1836.) — T. B. Aldrich. 

XXXVI. 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star ! 
How I wonder what you are, 
Up above the world so high, 
Like a diamond in the sky ! 

XXXVII. 

Who's the darling little girl 
Everybody loves to know ? 

She it is whose acts and thoughts 
All are pure as whitest snow. 



LITTLE GE"3. 15 



XXXVIII. 

God is love ; His mercy brightens 
All the path in which we rove ; 

Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens ; 
God is wisdom, God is love. 
England, 1792.) —John Bowring, 

XXXIX. 

Little white Lily 

Smells very sweet ; 
On her head sunshine, 
Rain at her feet. 
(Scotland, 1824.) — Geo. MacDonald. 

XL. 

There came to my window, 

One morning in spring, 
A sweet little robin ; 

She came there to sing ; 
And the tune that she sang 

It was prettier far 
Than ever I heard 

On the flute or guitar. 

XLL 

The ground was all covered with snow one day, 
And two little sisters were busy at play, 
When a snow-bird was sitting close by on a tree, 
And merrily singing his chick-a-de-dee. 

— F. C. Woodworth. 



16 LITTLE GEHS. 



XLII. 

How doth the little busy bee 

Improve each shining hour, 
And gather honey all the day 

From every opening flower ! 

In works of labor or of skill 

I would be busy too ; 
For Satan finds some mischief still 

For idle hands to do. 
(England, 1674.) — Watts. 

XLIII. 

Down, down the hill how swift I go, 
Over the ice and over the snow ! 
A horse or cart I do not fear, 
For past them both my sled I steer. 

XLIV. 

' ' Will you walk into my parlor ?' ' 

Said a spider to a fly ; 
' ' ' Tis the prettiest little parlor 
That ever you did spy. 
The way into my parlor 
Is up a winding stair, 
And I have many pretty things 
To show you when you're there." 
"O no, no," said the little fly, 
' ' To ask me is in vain ; 
For who goes up your winding stair 
Can ne'er come down again." 
(England, 1800.) — Mary Howitt. 



LITTLE GEMS. 17 



XLV. 

Buttercups and daisies, 

Oh, the pretty flowers ! 
Coming, ere the spring-time, 

To tell of sunny hours. 
While the trees are leafless, 

While the fields are bare, 
Buttercups and daisies 

Spring up everywhere. 
(England, 1800.) — Mary Howitt. 

XLVI. 

How pleasant the life of a bird must be, 
Flitting about in each leafy tree ! 
In the leafv trees so broad and tall, 
Like a green and beautiful palace hall. 

— Mary Howitt. 

XLVII. 

Whatever brawls disturb the street, 
There should be peace at home ; 

Where sisters dwell and brothers meet, 
Quarrels should never come. 
(England, 1674.) — Watts. 

XLVIII. 

A fair little girl sat under a tree, 
Sewing as long as her eyes could see ; 
Then smoothed her work, and folded it right, 
And said, "Dear work, good night, good night." 
(England, 1809.) — Lord Houghton. 



18 LITTLE GEMS. 



XLIX. 

Kind hearts are the gardens, 
Kind thoughts are the roots, 

Kind words are the blossoms, 
Kind deeds are the fruits. 

L. 

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. 

LI. 

And papa will make me a tombstone, 

Like the one he made for my bird ; 
And he'll put what I tell him on it — ■ 

Yes, every single word ! 
I shall say : (i Here lies Hildegarde, 

A beautiful doll, who is dead ; 
She died of a broken heart, 

And a dreadful crack in her head." 

— Mary Vandegrift. 
LII. 

See, the stars are coming 

In the far, blue skies. 
Mother, look ! they brighten ; 

Are they angels' eyes ? 

LIII. 

How gentle God's commands ! 
How kind His precepts are ! 
" Come, cast your burden on the Lord, 
And trust His constant care." 
(England, 1702.) —Doddridge. 



LITTLE GEMS. 13 



LIV. 

A dreary place would be this earth, 
Were there no little people in it ; 

The song of life would lose its mirth, 
Were there no children to begin it. 
(Mass., 1807.) — John G. Whittier. 

LV. 

"It snows!'' cries the schoolboy. "Hurrah!" and his 
shout 
Is ringing through parlor and hall, 
While swift as the wing of a swallow, he's out, 

And his playmates have answered his call. 
It makes the heart leap but to witness the joy ; 

Proud wealth has no pleasures, I trow, 
Like the rapture that throbs in the pulse of the boy, 
As he gathers his treasures of snow. 

LVI. 

Jingle, jingle, clear the way, 
'Tis the merry, merry sleigh ! 
As it swiftly scuds along, 
Hear the burst of happy song ! 
(Canada.) — G. W. Pettee. 

LVII. 

Sweet bird ! thy bower is ever green, 

Thy sky is ever clear ; 
Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, 

No winter in thy year. 
(Scotland, 1748.) —John Logan. 



20 LITTLE GEMS. 



LVIII. 

A cheerful temper, joined with innocence, will make 
beauty attractive. 
(England, 1672.) — Addison. 

LIX. 

Good-by, little birdie ! 

Fly to the sky, 
Singing and singing, 

A merry good-by. 

Tell all the birdies 

Flying above, 
Nell, in the garden, 
Sends them her love. 
(New York.) — Mary Mapes Dodge. 

LX. 

So the merry brown thrush sings away in the tree, 

To you and to me, to you and to me ; 
And he sings all the day, little girl, little boy : 
"Oh, the world's running over with joy ! 
But long it won't be — ■ 
Don't you know? don't you see? 
Unless we are as good as can be !" 
(America, 1826.) — Lucy Larcom. 

LXI. 

If wisdom's ways you'd wisely seek, 

Five things observe with care : 
Of whom you speak, to whom you speak, 

And how, and when, and where. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



LXII. 

Little Pearl Honeydew, six years old. 
From her bright ear parted the curls of gold. 
And laid her head on the strawberrv-bed, 
■ To hear what the red-cheeked berries said. 
New York, 1827.) —J. T. Trowbridge. 

LXIII. 

Speak gently ! 'tis a little thing 

Dropped in the heart's deep well ; 

The good, the joy that it may bring, 

Eternity shall tell. 

—David Bates. 

LXIV. 

Let my sins be all forgiven, 

Bless the friends I love so well ; 
Take me when I die to heaven, 

Happy there with Thee to dwell. 
(Scotland.) — Mary Lundie Duncan. 

LXV. 

A fool can cast a stone into a well, which many wise men 

cannot get out. 

— Spanish Proverb. 

LXVL 

Sweet little violets, hid from the cold, 
Put on your mantles of purple and gold ! 
Daffodils ! daffodils ! say, do you hear ? 
Summer is coming ! and spring-time is here ! 

— Emily Huntington Miller. 



22 LITTLE GEMS. 



LXVII. 

He who buys what he does not need will often need 
what he cannot buy. 

LXVIII. 

"What are you good for, my brave little man ? 
Answer that question for me, if you can, — 
You, with your fingers as white as a nun, — 
You, with your ringlets as bright as the sun. 
All the day long, with your busy contriving, 
Into all mischief and fun you are driving ; 
See if your wise little noddle can tell 
What you are good for. Now ponder it well." 

Over the carpet the dear little feet 
Came with a patter to climb on my seat ; 
Two merry eyes, full of frolic and glee, 
Under their lashes looked up unto me ; 
Two little hands, pressing soft on my face, 
Drew me down close in a loving embrace ; 
Two rosy lips gave the answer so true, 
M Good to love you, mamma, — good to love you." 
— Emily Huntington Miller. 

LXIX. 

The birds sing in chorus in the Spring — just as children 
prattle ; the brooks run full — like the overflow of young 
hearts ; the showers drop easily — as young tears flow ; and 
the whole sky is as capricious as the mind of a boy. 

(America, 1822.) —Donald G. Mitchell. 



LITTLE : 



LXX. 

Truth is honest, truth is sure : 
Truth is strong, and must endure ; 
Falsehood lasts a single day. 
Then it vanishes away. 

LXXI. 

I love the Spring, the gentle Spring, 

I love its balmy air ; 
I love its showers that ever bring 

To us the flowerets fair. 

I love the Summer's sky so bright ; 

I love the fragrant flowers ; 
I love the long, long days of light ; 

But more, the shady bowers. 

I love the Autumn's clustering fruit 

That in the orchard lies : 
I love its ever-changing suit. 

Its trees of brilliant dyes. 

I love stern Winter's ice and snow ; 

I love its blazing fire ; 
I love its winds that tiercel v blow ; 

Yes, Winter I desire. 

LXXII. 

Summer flowers will soon be o'er ; 
Winter comes, they bloom no more ; 
Fairest days will soon be past ; 
Brightest suns will set at last. 



24 LITTLE GEMS. 



LXXIII. 

Over the river, and through the wood, 
To grandfather's house we go ; 

The horse knows the way 

To carry the sleigh 
Through the white and drifted snow. 

Over the river, and through the wood ; 
Now grandmother's cap I spy ! 
Hurrah for the fun ! 
Is the pudding done ? 
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie ! 
(America, 1802.) — Lydia Maria Child. 

LXXIV. 

He prayeth best who loveth best 

All things both great and small ; 
For the dear God who loveth us, 
He made and loveth all. 
(England, 1772.) —Coleridge. 

LXXV. 

A mother's love — how sweet the name ! 

What is a mother's love? 
A noble, pure, and tender flame, 

Enkindled from above, 
To bless a heart of earthly mould ; 
The warmest love that can grow cold ; 

This is a mother's love. 
(Scotland, 1771.) —J. Montgomery. 



LITTLE GEMS. 25 



LXXVI. 

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand 
before kings. 

— Proverbs. 

LXXVI I. 

Press on ! There's no such word as fail ! 

Press nobly on ! the goal is near ! 
Ascend the mountain ! breast the gale ! 
Look upward, onward — never fear ! 
(Guiana, 1809.) — Park Benjamin. 

LXXVIII. 

A little neglect may breed great mischief. For want of 
a nail the shoe was lost ; for want of a shoe the horse was 
lost ; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being 
overtaken and slain by the enemy — all for want of care 
about a horse-shoe nail. 

(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 

LXXIX. 

Press bravely on, and reach the goal, 

And gain the prize, and wear the crown ! 

Faint not ! for to the steadfast soul 
Come wealth, and honor, and renown. 

— Park Benjamin. 

LXXX. 

He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for 
anything else. 

(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 



26 LITTLE GEMS. 



LXXXI. 

Blessings on thee, little man, 
Barefoot boy with cheek of tan ! 
With thy turned-up pantaloons, 
And thy merry whistled tunes ; 
With thy red lip, redder still 
Kissed bv strawberries on the hill ; 
With the sunshine on thy face, 
Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace ; 
From my heart I give thee joy, — 
I was once a barefoot boy ! 
(Mass., 1807.) — John G. Whittier. 

LXXXII. 

Men are but children of a larger growth. 
(England, 1631.) — Dryden. 

LXXXIII. 

Let us gather up the sunbeams, 

Lying all around our path ; 
Let us keep the wheat and roses, 

Casting out the thorns and chaff. 
(Ohio, 1824.) — Phcebe Cary. 

LXXXIV. 

Of all the birds of our groves and meadows, the bobo- 
link was the envy of my boyhood. He crossed my path in 
the sweetest weather, and the sweetest season of the year, 
when all nature called to the fields, and the rural feeling 
throbbed in every bosom. 

(New York, 1783.) —Washington Irving. 



LITTLE GEMS. 27 



LXXXV. 

Our boyish sports were all the same. 

Each little joy and woe ; 
Let manhood keep alive the flame, 

Lit up so long ago. 
(Mass., 1791.) — Charles Sprague. 

LXXXVI. 

It's all very well to depend on a friend, 
That is, if you've found him true ; 

But you'll find it better by far in the end 
To paddle your own canoe. 

LXXXVII. 

Words are easy, like the wind ; 
Faithful friends are hard to find. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

LXXXVIII. 

We tread through fields of speckled flowers, 

As if we did not know 
Our Father made them beautiful 
Because He loves us so. 
(Ohio, 1820.) — Alice Cary. 

LXXXIX. 

Let us with a joyful mind 
Praise the Lord, for He is kind, 
For His mercies shall endure, 
Ever faithful, ever sure. 
(England, 1608.) — John Milton. 






28 LITTLE GEMS. 



xc. 

Oft in the stilly night, 

Ere Slumber's chain has bound me, 
Fond Memory brings the light 

Of other days around me. 
(Ireland, 1779.) — Thomas Moore. 

XCI. 

for festal daintier spread, 

Like my bowl of milk and bread, — 
Pewter spoon and bowl of wood, 
On the door-stone gray and rude ! 
O'er me like a regal tent, 
Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent, 

1 was monarch : pomp and joy 
Waited on the barefoot boy ! 

(Mass., 1807.) — John G. Whittier. 

XCII. 

The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; 

He leadeth me beside the still waters. 

—Psalms. 

XCIII. 

11 1 am cheerful, young man," Father William replied, 
' Let the cause thy attention engage ; 
In the days of my youth I remembered my God, 
And He hath not forgotten my age. ' ' 
(England, 1774.) — Southey. 

XCIV. 

Keep good men company, and you shall be of the number. 



LITTLE GEI.:. 



xcv. 

Five minutes late, and the school is begun ; 
What are rules for, if you break every one ? 
Just as the scholars are seated and quiet, 
You hurry in with disturbance and riot. 
Why did you loiter so long by the way ? 
All of the classes are formed for the day ; 
Hurry and pick up your reader and slate — 
Room at the foot for the boy that is late. 

— M. L. Rayne. 

XCVI. 

Sloth makes all things difficult, but Industry all easy ; 
and he that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce 
overtake his business at night ; while Laziness travels so 
slowly that poverty soon overtakes him. 

(Mass., 1706.) —Franklin. 

XCVII. 
For his heart was in his work, and the heart 
Giveth grace unto every art. 
(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

XCVIII. 
Dare to do right ! dare to be true ! 
The failings of others can never save you ; 
Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith, — 
Stand like a hero, and battle till death ! 

— Wilson. 

XCIX. 

To err is human ; to forgive, divine. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 



30 LITTLE GEMS. 



c. 

Look for goodness, look for gladness, 
You will meet them all the while ; 

If you bring a smiling visage 
To the glass, you meet a smile. 
(Ohio, 1820.) — Alice Cary. 

CI. 

The clouds hover over an April sky, timidly — like shad- 
ows upon innocence. The rain of winter is cold, and it 
comes in bitter scuds that blind you ; but the rain of April 
steals upon you coyly, half reluctantly — yet lovingly — like 
the steps of a bride to the altar. 

(America, 1822.) — Donald G. Mitchell. 

CII. 

The jessamine clambers in flowers o'er the thatch, 

And the swallow chirps sweet from her nest in the wall; 

All trembling with transport he raises the latch, 
And the voices of loved ones reply to his call. 

(England, 1800.) — William Dimond. 

cm. 

Every tinkle on the shingles has an echo in the heart, 

And a thousand dreary fancies into busy being start ; 

And a thousand recollections weave their bright hues into 

woof, 
As I listen to the patter of the soft rain on the roof. 
(New York, 1826.) — Coates Kinney. 

CIV. 

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? 

— Bible. 



LITTLE GEMS. 31 



cv. 

The coward wretch, whose hand and heart 

Can bear to torture aught below, 
Is ever first to quail and start 

From slightest pain or equal foe. 
(England, 1817.) — Eliza Cook. 

CVI. 

Lives of great men all remind us 

We can make our lives sublime, 
And, departing, leave behind us 
Footprints on the sands of time. 
(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

CVII. 

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan ; 
The proper study of mankind is man. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 

CVIII. 

Speech is silvern, Silence is golden ; Speech is human, 

Silence is divine. 

— German Proverb. 

CIX. 
When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, a 
hundred. 
(Virginia, 1743.) — Thomas Jefferson. 

CX. 

O what a tangled web we weave 
When first we practice to deceive ! 
(Scotland, 1771.) —Sir Walter Scott. 



32 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXI. 

O, swift we go o'er the fleecy snow, 
When moonbeams sparkle round ; 

When feet keep time to the music's chime, 
As merrily on we bound ! 

With a laugh and song, we glide along, 

Across the fleeting snow ; 
With friends beside, how swift we'll ride 

On the beautiful track below ! 

CXII. 

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, 
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle ; 
And I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, 
" Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night !" 
(New York, 1779.) ' — Clement C. Moore. 

CXIII. 

And pleasantly under the silver moon, and under the 
silent, solemn stars, ring the steel shoes of the skaters on 
the frozen sea, and voices, and the sound of bells. 

—Longfellow. 

CXIV. 

How beautiful the long, mild twilight, which, like a 
silver clasp, unites to-day with yesterday ! 

(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

cxv. 

Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap. 

— Franklin. 



LITTLE G 



CXVI. 

They grew in beauty, side by side, 
They filled one home with glee ; 

Their graves are severed far and wide, 
By mount, and stream, and sea. 
(England, 1794.) — Mrs. Hemans. 

CXVII. 

Homes, ye may be high or lowly, 
Hearts alone can make you holy. 
Be the dwelling e'er so small, 
Having love, it boasteth all. 

CXVIII. 

Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight. 
Make me a child again just for to-night ! 
Mother, come back from the echoless shore, 
Take me again to your heart as of yore ; 
Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care, 
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair ; 
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep ; — 
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep ! 
(Maine, 1832.) —Florence Percy. 

CXIX. 

Heaven lies about us in our infancy. 
(England, 1770.) —Wordsworth. 

cxx. 

As thy days, so shall thy strength be. 



34 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXXL 

We were boys together, 

And never can forget 
The school-house on the heather, 

In childhood where we met — 
The humble home to memory dear ; 

Its sorrows and its joys ; 
Where woke the transient smile or tear, 

When you and I were boys. 
(Penn., 1802.) — George P. Morris. 

CXXII. 

Woodman, spare that tree ! 

Touch not a single bough ! 
In youth it sheltered me, 

And I' 11 protect it now. 
' Twas my forefather' s hand 

That placed it near his cot ; 
There, woodman, let it stand 

Thy ax shall harm it not. 

— George P. Morris. 



CXXIII. 

^els : 

Alexander Pope. 



For fools rush in where angels fear to tread 



CXXIV. 

For of all sad words of tongue or pen, 

The saddest are these, "It might have been." 

— Whittier. 

CXXV. 

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. 
(Ireland, 1779.) — Thomas Moore. 



LITTLE GEMS. : : : 



CXXVI. 

I saw him once before 
As he passed by the door ; 

And again 
The pavement stones resound 
As he totters o ? er the ground 

With his cane. 

The mossy marbles rest 

On the lips that he has pressed 

In their bloom ;* 
And the names he loved to hear 
Have been carved for many a year 

On the tomb. 
(Mass., 1809.) — Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

CXXVII. 

Over the river they beckon to me, 

Loved ones who' ve crossed to the farther side, 
The gleam of their snowy robes I see, 

But their voices are lost in the dashing tide. 
(America, 1834.) . — N. A. W. Priest. 

CXXVIII. 

Yes, we all live to God ! 

Father, Thy chastening rod, 
So help us, thine afflicted ones, to bear, 

That in the spirit land, 

Meeting at Thy right hand, 
'Twill be our heaven to find that — he is there ! 
(Conn., 1785.) — John Pierpont. 



36 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXXIX. 

We thought her dying when she slept, 
And sleeping when she died. 
(England, 1798.) — Thomas Hood. 

cxxx. 

And when the morn came dim and sad, 

And chill with early showers, 
Her quiet eyelids closed ! — she had 

Another morn than ours. 

— Thomas Hood. 

CXXXI. 

I know not where His islands lift 
Their fronded palms in air • 

I only know I cannot drift 
Beyond His love and care. 
(Mass., 1807.) — Whittier. 

CXXXII. 

My bark is wafted to the strand 

By breath divine ; 
And on the helm there rests a hand 

Other than mine. 

CXXXIII. 

My God, my Father, while I stray 
Far from my home, in life's rough way, 
Oh, teach me from my heart to say, 
" Thy will be done." 
(England, 1789.) — Charlotte Elliott. 



LITTLE GEMS. 37 



CXXXIV. 

Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt ! 

Nothing's so hard but search will find it out. 

(England, 1591.) — R. Herrick. 

cxxxv. 

I asked an aged man, with hoary hairs, 
Wrinkled and curved with worldly cares ; 
" Time is the warp of life," said he, " O, tell 
The young, the fair, the gay, to weave it well !" 
(England, 1754.) — Marsden. 

CXXXVI. 

Every man is the architect of his own fortune. 

CXXXVII. 

Stand up — erect ! Thou hast the form 
And likeness of thy God ! — who more ? 
A soul as dauntless 'mid the storm 
Of daily life, a heart as warm 
And pure as breast e' er wore. 
(America, 1808.) — W. D. Gallagher. 

CXXXVIII. 

Work for some good, be it ever so slowly ; 
Cherish some flower, be it ever so lowly ; 
Labor ! — all labor is noble and holy : 
Let thy great deeds be thy prayer to thy God ! 
(Mass., 1812.) — Frances S. Osgood. 



38 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXXXIX. 

Praise to God, immortal praise, 
For the love that crowns our days ; 
Bounteous source of every joy, 
Let Thy praise our tongues employ. 
(England, 1743.) — Anna L. Barbauld. 

CXL. 
Here's a sigh to those who love me, 

And a smile to those who hate, 
And whatever sky's above me, 
Here's a heart for any fate. 
(England, 1788.) — Byron. 

CXLI. 

Never give up ! for the wisest is boldest, 
Knowing that Providence mingles the cup. 

And of all maxims, the best, as the oldest, 
Is the true watchword of " Never give up !" 

CXLII. 

Onward, onward, may we press, 

Through the path of duty ; 
Virtue is true happiness, 

Excellence true beauty : 
Minds are of celestial birth, 
Make we, then, a heaven of earth. 
(Scotland, 1771.) — James Montgomery. 

CXLIII. 

He that by the plow would thrive, 
Himself must either hold or drive. 

— Franklin. 



LITTLE GEMS. 39 



CXLIV. 

Beware of little expenses ; a small leak will sink a great ship. 
(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 

CXLV. 

He is richest who is content with the least ; for content 
is the wealth of nature. 
(Greece, 468 b.c.) —Socrates. 

CXLVI. 

Pride is as loud a beggar as Want, and a great deal more 
saucy. When you have bought one fine thing, you must 
buy ten more, that your appearance may be all of a piece ; 
but it is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all 
that follow it. 

— Franklin. 

CXLVII. 

'Tis not the house, and not the dress, 
That makes the saint or sinner ; 
To see the spider sit and spin, 
Shut with her webs of silver in, 
You'd never, never, never guess 
The way she gets her dinner. 
(Ohio, 1820.) —Alice Cary. 

CXLVIII. 

Kind hearts are more than coronets, 
And simple faith than Norman blood. 
(England, 1809.) — Alfred Tennyson. 



40 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXLIX. 

An unlucky word, once escaped from us, cannot be 
brought back with a coach and six. 

— Chinese Proverb. 

CL. 

The bird that soars on highest wing 
Builds on the ground her lowly nest ; 

And she that does most sweetly sing, 
Sings in the shade, when all things rest. 

In lark and nightingale we see 
What honor hath humility. 
(Scotland, 1771.) — James Montgomery. 

CLI. • 

An honest man' s the noblest work of God. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 

cm. 

Where there is much pretension, much has been bor- 
rowed. Nature never pretends. 
(Switzerland, 174.1.) — Lavater. 

CLIII. 

No rogue e'er felt the halter draw, 
With good opinion of the law. 
(Conn., 1750.) — Trumbull. 

CLIV. 

Aristotle, being asked what a man could gain by telling 
a falsehood, replied, ' ' Not to be credited when he speaks 
the truth." 



LITTLE GEMS. 41 



CLV. 

It is summer time, rare, beautiful June, and hill and 
dale are crowded with God's gifts — grass and flowers. The 
horse-chestnuts at the back of the house are in blossom ; the 
elms in front are in their glory ; the flower-beds are sweet 
with roses and violets ; and, through all, comes wafted to 
us the delicious fragrance of the grape-vines. "Then, if 
ever, come perfect days." 

(Mass.) — Mrs. F. R. Spelman. 

CLVI. 

Is this a time to be gloomy and sad, 
When our mother Nature laughs around ; 

When even the deep blue heavens look glad, 
And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground ? 

CLVII. 

The trees are now in their fullest foliage and brightest 
verdure ; the woods are gay with the clustered flowers of 
the laurel ; the air is perfumed by the sweet-brier and the 
wild-rose; the meadows are enameled with clover blossoms ; 
while the young apple, the peach, and the plum begin to 
swell, and the cherry to glow among the green leaves. 

(New York, 1783.) —Washington Irving. 

CLVIII. 

Eternal are Thv mercies, Lord, 
Eternal truth attends Thy word , 
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore, 
Till suns shall rise and set no more. 
(England, 1674.) — Watts. 



42 LITTLE GEMS. 



CLTX. 

Break, break, break, 
On thy cold, gray stones, O Sea ! 

And I would that my tongue could utter 
The thoughts that arise in me. 

Oh, well for the fisherman's boy, 
That he shouts with his sisters at play ! 

Oh, well for the sailor lad, 
That he sings in his boat on the bay ! 

Arid the stately ships go on 
To their haven under the hill ; 

But oh, for the touch of a vanished hand, 
And the sound of a voice that is still ! 

Break, break, break, 
At the foot of thy crags, O Sea ! 

But the tender grace of a day that is dead 
Will never come back to me. 
(England, 1809.) — Alfred Tennyson. 

CLX. 

She lived unknown, and few could know 

When Lucy ceased to be ; 
But she is in her grave, and O 

The difference to me ! ., 

(England, 1770.) — Wordsworth. 

CLXI. 

There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended, 
But has one vacant chair. 
(Maine, 1807.) . —Longfellow. 



LITTLE GEMS. 41 



CLXII. 

My country ! 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 

Of thee I sing ; 
Land where my fathers died ! 
Land of the pilgrim's pride ! 
From every mountain side 

Let freedom ring ! 
iAmerica, 1808.) — S. F. Smith. 

CLXIII. 

The breaking waves dashed high 

On a stern and rock-bound coast, 
And the woods against a stormy sky 

Their giant branches tossed ; 
And the heavy night hung dark 

The hills and waters o'er, 
When a band of exiles moored their bark 

On a wild New England shore. 
(England, 1794.) — Mrs. Hemans. 

CLXIV. 
He conquers who endures. 

CLXV. 

Land of the forest and the rock, 

Of dark blue lake and mighty river. 
Of mountains reared on high to mock 
The storm's career and lightning's shock, 
My own green land forever ! 
(Mass., 1807.) — John G. Whittier. 



44 LITTLE GEMS. 



CLXVI. 

Then shook the hills with thunder riven ! 
Then rushed the steed to battle driven ! 
And louder than the bolts of heaven 
Far flashed the red "artillery ! 
(Scotland, 1777.) — Thomas Campbell. 

CLXVII. 
The heavens are veined with fire ! 
• And the thunder, how it rolls ! 
In the lullings of the storm 

The solemn church-bell tolls ; 
But no sexton sounds the knell ; 

In that belfry old and high, 
Unseen fingers sway the bell, 

As the wind goes tearing by ! 
How it tolls for the souls 

Of the sailors on the sea ! 
God pity them ! God pity them ! 
Wherever they may be. 
(New Hampshire, 1836.) — T. B. Aldrich. 

CLXVIII. 
How calm, how beautiful comes on 
The stilly hour, when storms are gone, 
When warring winds have died away, 
And clouds, beneath the glancing ray, 
Melt off and leave the land and sea, 
Sleeping in bright tranquillity. 
(Ireland, 1779.) — Thomas Moore. 

CLXIX. 
Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll ! 
(England, 1788.) Byron. 



LITTLE GEMS. 45 



CLXX. 
How beautiful is the rain ! 
After the dust and heat. 
In the broad and fiery street, 
In the narrow lane, 
How beautiful is the rain ! 

From the neighboring school 

Come the boys, 

With more than their wonted noise 

And commotion ; 

And down the wet streets 

Sail their mimic fleets, 

Till the treacherous pool 

Ingulfs them in its whirling 

And turbulent ocean. 
(Maine, 1807.) —Longfellow. 

CLXXI. 
We are but children ; the things that we do 
Are as sports of a babe to the Infinite view, 
That sees all our weakness, and pities it too. 

And oh ! when aweary, may we be so blest 
As to sink, like an innocent child, to our rest, 
And feel ourselves clasped to the Infinite breast. 

— F. Burge Smith. 
CLXXII. 
Hours, are golden links, God's token 
Reaching heaven ; but one by one 
Take them, lest the chain be broken 
Ere the pilgrimage be done. 
(England, 1826.) — Adelaide A. Procter. 



46 LITTLE GEMS. 



CLXXIII. 

'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, 
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home ! 
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, 
Which, seek through the world, is not met with elsewhere ! 

Home, home, sweet, sweet home ! 

There's no place like home ! 
(New York, 1792.) —John Howard Payne. 

CLXXIV. 

The child is father of the man ; 
And I could wish my days to be 
Bound each to each by natural piety. 
(England, 1770.) — Wordsworth. 

CLXXV. 

The proudest motto for the young — 

Write it in lines of gold 
Upon thy heart, and in thy mind 

The stirring words enfold ; 

And in misfortune's dreary hour, 

Or fortune's prosperous gale, 
'Twill have a holy, cheering power,' — 

" There's no such word as fail." 

— Alice G. Lee. 

CLXXVI. 

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 



LITTLE GEMS. -1-7 



CLXXVII. 

Pull away cheerily, work with a will ! 

Day after day even' task should be done ! 
Idleness bringeth us trouble and ill, 

Labor itself is some happiness won ! 
Work with the heart and work with the brain, 

Work with the hands and work with the will, 
Step after step we shall reach the high plain ; 

Then pull away cheerily, work with a will ! 

CLXXVIIL 

What doth the poor man's son inherit? 

Stout muscles and a sinewy heart, 
A hardy frame, a hardier spirit ; 

King of two hands, he does his part 

In every useful toil and art ; 
A heritage, it seems to me, 
A king might wish to hold in fee. 
(Mass., 1819.) — James Russell Lowell. 

CLXXIX. 

An idle youth — a needy age. 

CLXXX. 

What can be more delicious than a summer morning, 
dawning through your open windows, to the sound of in- 
numerable birds, while the shadows of branches and leaves 
sway to and fro along the wall, or spread new patterns on 
the floor, wavering with perpetual change ! 

(Conn., 18 13.) — Henry Ward Beecher. 



48 LITTLE GEMS. 



CLXXXI. 

Heaven is not gained by a single bound ; 
But we build the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 

And we mount to its summit round by round. 

I count this thing to be grandly true : 

That a noble deed is a step toward God, — 
Lifting the soul from the common sod 

To a purer air and a broader view. 
(Mass., 1819.) — J. G. Holland. 

CLXXXII. 

Let us, then, be up and doing, 

With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing, 
Learn to labor and to wait. 
(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

CLXXXIII. 

Our doubts are traitors, 
And make us lose the good we oft might win, 
By fearing to attempt. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CLXXXIV. 

If what is out of fashion most you prize, 
Methinks you should endeavor to be wise. 
(England, 1684.) — Young. 

CLXXXV. 

How much pain those evils cause that never happen ! 



:.:ttlz sums. 42 

CLXXXVI. 

A wasp met a bee that was just buzzing by. 

And he said, " Little cousin, can you tell me why 

You are loved so much better by people than I ? 

'' My back shines as bright and as yellow as gold, 
And my shape is most elegant, too, to behold ; 
Yet nobody loves me for that, I am told. 

" Ah, cousin," the bee said, " 'tis all very true ; 
But if I were half as much mischief to do, 
Indeed they would lcfve me no better than you.' 5 

CLXXXVII. 

Why, what's the matter. 
That you have such a February face, 
So full of frost, and storm, and cloudiness? 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CLXXXVIII. 

He that complies against his will 
Is of his own opinion still. 
(England, 1600.) —Samuel Butler. 

CLXXXIX. 

A soft answer turneth away wrath. 

— Proverbs. 

CXC. 

The first ingredient in conversation is truth ; the next, * 
good sense ; the third, good humor ; and the fourth, wit. 
(England, 1628.) — William Temple. , 



30 LITTLE SEM; 



CXCI. 

I live for those who love me, 
For those who know me true ; 

For the heaven that smiles above me, 
And awaits my spirit too ; 

For the cause that lacks assistance, 

For the wrongs that need resistance. 

For the future in the distance, 
And the good that I can do. 
(England.) — G. L. Banks. 

CXCII. 

We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the. noblest, acts the best. 
(England, 1816.) —P. J. Bailey. 

CXCIII. 

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 
Is our destined end or way ; 

But to act, that each to-morrow 
Find us farther than to- da}'. 

—Longfellow. 

CXCIV. 

Take care of the minutes, they're priceless, you know ; 
Will you value them less that so quickly they go ? 
" It is but a minute," the trifler will say ; 
But the minutes make hours, and hours make the day. 



JTTLE GEMS. 



excv. 

Those evening bells ! those evening bells ! 
How many a tale their music tells 
Of youth, and home, and that sweet time 
When last I heard their soothing chime ! 
(Ireland, 1779.) — Thomas Moork. 

CXCVI. 

I had a brother once, a gracious boy, 
Full of all gentleness, of calmest hope, 
Of sweet and quiet joy ; there was the look 
Of Heaven upon his face which limners give 
To the beloved disciple. 
(England, 1786.) — Mary Russell Mitford. 

cxcvii. 

There is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song. There 
is a remembrance of the dead to which we turn even 
from the charms of the living. Oh, the grave ! the grave ! 
It buries every error, covers every defect, extinguishes every 
resentment. From its peaceful bosom spring none but fond 
regrets and tender recollections. 

(New York, 1783.) — Washington Irving. 

CXCVIII. 

Green be the turf above thee, 

Friend of my better days ; 
None knew thee but to love thee, 

Nor named thee but to praise. 
(Conn., 1790.) — Fitz Greene Halleck. 



52 LITTLE GEMS. 



CXCIX. 

With the sweet airs of Spring, the robin comes ; 
And in her simple song there seems to gush 
A strain of sorrow, when she visiteth 
Her last year's withered nest. 

— Isaac McLellan, Jr. 

CC. 

I love to search out the sunny slopes by a southern wall, 
where the reflected sun does double duty to the earth, and 
where the frail anemone, or the faint blush of the arbute, 
in the midst of the bleak March atmosphere, will touch your 
heart like a hope of heaven in a field of graves. 

(America, 1822.) —Donald G. Mitchell. 

CCI. 

She was dead. Dear, gentle, patient, noble Nell was 
dead. Her little bird — a poor, slight thing the pressure of 
a finger would have crushed — was stirring nimbly in its cage ; 
and the strong heart of its child-mistress was mute and 
motionless forever. 

(England, 1812.) — Charles Dickens. 

CCII. 

How sleep the brave who sink to rest 
By all their country's wishes blest ! 
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod ■ 
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 
(England, 1720.) —William Collins. 



LITTLE GEMS. 53 



CCIII. 

I chatter over stony ways, 

In little sharps and trebles, 
I bubble into eddying bays, 

I babble on the pebbles. 

And out again I curve and flow, 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come, and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 
(England, 1809.) — Alfred Tennyson. 

CCIV. 

I dream of all things free ! 

Of a gallant, gallant bark, 
That sweeps through storm and sea, 

Like an arrow to its mark ! 
Of a stag that o'er the hills 

Goes bounding on its way ; 
Of a thousand flashing rills — 

Of all things glad and free ! 
(England, 1794.) — Mrs. Hemans. 

(XV. 

Absence of occupation is not rest 
A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed. 
(England, 1731.) — Cowper. 

CCVI. 

Speak clearly, if you speak at all ; 
Carve every word before you let it fall. 
(Mass., 1809.) — Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



54 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCVII. 

Into the yard the farmer goes. 
With grateful heart at the close of day ; 
Harness and chain are hung away : 
In the wagon-shed stand yoke and plough ; 
The straw's in the stack, the hay in the mow, 

The cooling dews' are falling ; — 
The friendly sheep his welcome bleat, 
The pigs come grunting to his feet, 
And the whinnying mare her master knows, 

When into the yard the farmer goes. 
(New York, 1827.) — J. T. Trowbridge. 

CCVIII. 

Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet, 
With charm of earliest birds ; pleasant the sun. 
When first on this delightful land he spreads 
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, 
Glistering with dew. 
(England, 1608.) — Milton. 

CCIX. 

A happy temper, like the ^olian harp, sings to every breeze. 

CCX. 

To Thee, whose temple is all space, 
Whose altar, earth, sea, skies — 

One chorus let all being raise ! 
All nature's incense rise ! 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 



LITTLE 3EMS. co 



CCXI. 

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. 

(England, 1796.) — John Keats. 

CCXII. 

How dear to this heart are the scenes of mv childhood, 

When fond recollection presents them to view ! 
The orchard, the meadow, the deep tangled wildwood, 

And ev'ry loved spot which my infancy knew ; — 
The wide-spreading pond, and the mill which stood by it ; 

The bridge, and the rock where the cataract fell ; 
The cot of my father, the dairy-house nigh it, 

And e' en the rude bucket which hung in the well ! 
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, 
The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well. 
(Mass., 1785.) — Samuel Woodworth. 

CCXIII. 

I remember. I remember 

How my childhood fleeted by, 
The mirth of its December, 
And the warmth of its July. 
(England, 1802.J — Winthrop M. Praed. 

CCXIV. 
O thou child of many prayers ! 
Life hath quicksands, Life hath snares ! 
Care and age come unawares ! 

Bear through sorrow, wrong, and ruth, 

In thy heart the dew of youth, 

On thy lips the smile of truth. 

—Longfellow. 



55 LITTLE GEMS. 



(XXV. 

How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is 
To have a thankless child ! 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CCXVI. 

A man endowed with great perfections, without good- 
breeding, is like one who has his pockets full of gold, but 
always wants change for his ordinary occasions. 

(Ireland, 1671.) — Richard Steele. 

CCXVI*. 

Good breeding is the result of much good sense, some 
good nature, and a little self-denial for the sake of others. 
(England, 1694.) — Chesterfield. 

ccxviii. 

Honor and shame from no condition rise ; 
Act well your part, there all the honor lies. 
(England, 1688.) —Alexander Pope. 

ccxix. 

Every one is the son of his own works. 
(Spain, 1547.) —Cervantes. 

ccxx. 

I need Thy presence every passing hour ; 
What, but Thy grace, can foil the tempter's power? 
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be ? 
Through cloud and sunshine, oh ! abide with me. 
(England, 1793.) — H. F. Lyte. 



LITTLE GEMS. 57 



CCXXI. 

Which I wish to remark — 

And my language is plain — 
That for ways that are dark 

And for tricks that are vain. 
The heathen Chinee is peculiar : 

Which the same I would rise to explain. 
(New York, 1837.) — Francis Bret Harte. 

CCXXI I. 

Depend upon it, my snobbish friend, 
Your family thread you can't ascend, 
Without good reason to apprehend 
You may find it waxed, at the farther end, 

By some plebeian vocation ! 
Or, worse than that, your boasted line 
May end in a loop of stronger twine 

That plagued some worthy relation ! 
(Vermont, 1816.) — John G. Saxe. 

CCXXIII. 
When Pride leads the van, Beggar} 7 brings up the rear. 

CCXXIV. 

He that avoideth not small faults, by little and little fall- 
eth into greater. 
(Germany, 1379.) — Thomas a Kempis. 

CCXXV. 

Blessed is he who has found his work ; let him ask no 
other blessedness. 
(Scotland, 1795.) —Thomas Carlyle. 



53 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCXXVI. 

Do not look for wrong and evil, — 

You will find them if you do ; 

As you measure for your neighbor, 

He will measure back to you. 

(Ohio, 1820.) — Alice Cary. 

CCXXVII. 

My son, be this thy simple plan ; 
Serve God, and love thy brother man ; 
Forget not, in temptation's hour, 
That sin lends sorrow double power ; 
Count life a stage upon thy way, 
And follow conscience, come what may ; 
Alike with earth and heaven sincere, 
With hand and brow and bosom clear, 
" Fear God, and know no other fear !" 

CCXXVIII. 

The brave man is not he who feels no fear, 
For that were stupid and irrational ; 
But he whose noble soul its fear subdues, 
And bravely dares the danger nature shrinks from. 
(Scotland, 1762.) — Joanna Baillie. 

CCXXIX. 

In the world's broad field of battle, 

In the bivouac of Life, 
Be not like dumb, driven cattle ! 

Be a hero in the strife ! 
(Maine, 1807.) -^Longfellow.' 



LITTLE GEMS. S3 



ccxxx. 

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. 
England, 1694.; — Chesterfield. 

CCXXXI. 

Five minutes in a crisis are worth years. It is but a little 
period, yet it has often saved a fortune or redeemed a peo- 
ple. If there is one virtue that should be cultivated more 
than another by him who would succeed in life, it is 
punctuality : if there is one error that should be avoided, 
it is being behind time. 

(America, 1804.) — Freeman Hunt. 



CCXXXII. 

How wonderful a being is man, when viewed in the light 
of his achievements. 
(Mass., 1819.) —J. G. Holland. 

cexxxni. 

Are riches worth the getting ? 

They must be bravely sought ; . 
With wishing and with fretting, 

The boon cannot be bought ; 
To all the prize is open, 

But only he can, take it 
Who says, with Roman courage, 

"/' II find a way or make it. ' ' 
(Vermont, 1816.) ' — John G. Saxe. 

CCXXXIV. 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. 

' - —Proverbs. 



60 LITTLE GEMS. 



ccxxxv. 

I love my country's pine-clad hills, 
Her thousand bright and gushing rills, 

Her sunshine and her storms ; 
Her rough and rugged rocks that rear 
Their hoary heads high in the air, 

In wild fantastic forms. 

CCXXXVI. 

Columbia, Columbia, to glory arise, 
The queen of the world, and child of the skies ! 
Thy genius commands thee ; with rapture behold, 
While ages on ages thy splendors unfold. 
(Mass., 1752.) — Timothy Dwight. 

CCXXXVII. 

Stand ! the ground's your own, my braves ! 
Will ye give it up to slaves ? 
Will ye look for greener graves ? 

Hope ye mercy still ? 
What' s the mercy despots feel ? 
Hear it in that battle-peal ! 
Read it in yon bristling steel ! 

Ask it, — ye who will. 
(Conn., 1785.) — John Pierpont. 

CCXXXVIII. 

Strike — till the last armed foe expires ; 
Strike — for your altars and your fires ; 
Strike — for the green graves ol your sires, 
God, and your native land ! 
(Conn., 1790.) — Fitz-Greene Halleck. 



LITTLE GEMS. 61 



CCXXXIX. 

His life was gentle ; and the elements 
So mixed in him, that nature might stand up 
And say to all the world, " This is a man !" 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CCXL. 

Oh, young Lochinvar is come out of the west, — 
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best ! 
And, save his good broadsword, he weapons had none, — 
He rode all unarmed, and he rode all alone. 
So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war, 
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar. 
(Scotland, 1771.) — Sir Walter Scott. 

CCXLI. 

God helps those that help themselves. 

— Franklin. 

CCXLII. 

Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder 
dry. 

CCXLIII. 
When can their glory fade ? 
Oh, the wild charge they made ! 

All the world wondered. 
Honor the charge they made ! 
Honor the Light Brigade ! 
Noble Six Hundred ! 
(England, 1809.) —Tennyson. 



62 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCXLIV. 

Like a weary child, the worn old man 

Lays down his weight of care, 
And softly, as in days of yore, 
With reverent lips repeats once more 

His childhood's evening prayer. 

— J. C. Huntington. 

CCXLV. 

Jerusalem, the golden, 
With milk and honey blest ! 
Beneath thy contemplation 
Sink heart and voice oppressed. 
I know not, oh ! I know not 
What joys await me there ; 
What radiancy of glory, 
What bliss beyond compare. 
(France, 1091.) —St. Bernard. 

CCXLVI. 

The Soul, of origin divine, 
God's glorious image, freed from clay, 
In heaven's eternal sphere shall shine, 
A star of day. 

The Sun is but a spark of fire, 

A transient meteor in the sky ; 

The Soul, immortal as its Sire, 

Shall never die. 

(Scotland, 1771.) — James Montgomery. 

.CCXLVIL. ,:, , 
. A well -spent day prepares us for sweet repose. •■ 



:.:ttle SEMS. 



CCXLVIII. 

God moves in a mysterious way, 

His wonders to perform ; 
He plants His footsteps in the sea, 

And rides upon the storm. 
(England, 1731.) — Cowper. 

CCXLIX. 

O, lonely tomb in Moab's land, 

O, dark Bethpeor's hill, 
Speak to these curious hearts of ours, 

And teach them to be still. 
God hath His mysteries of grace — 

Ways that we cannot tell ; 
He hides them deep, like the secret sleep 

Of him He loved so well. 
(Ireland, 1823.) —Mrs. Alexander. 

CCL. 
Ah, well ! for us all some sweet hope lies 
Deeply buried from human eyes ; 
And, in the hereafter, angels may 
Roll the stone from its grave away ! 
(Mass., 1807.) —John G. Whittier. 

CCLI. 

Ring out the old, ring in the new ; 
Ring, happy bells, across the snow ; 
The year is going, let him go ; 
Ring out the false, ring in the true. 
(England, 1809.) —Alfred Tennyson, 



64 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCLIL 

The day is done, and the darkness 

Falls from the wings of Night, . 

As a feather is wafted downward 

From an eagle in his flight 

— Longfellow. 

CCLIII. 

Happy are they, my son, who shall learn from thy exam- 
ple not to despair, but shall remember, that, though the day 
is past, and their strength wasted, there yet remains one 
effort to be made ; that reformation is never hopeless, nor 
sincere endeavor ever unassisted. 

(England, 1709.) — Samuel Johnson. 

CCLIV. 
Lead, kindly Light ! amid th' encircling gloom, 

Lead Thou me on ; 
The night is dark, and I am far from home, 

Lead Thou me on ; 
Keep Thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
The distant scene ; one step enough for me.- 
(England, 1801.) — J. H. Newman. 

CCLV. 

The stars are forth, the moon above the tops 
Of the snow-shining mountains. Beautiful ! 
I linger yet with Nature, for the night 
Hath been to me a more familiar face 
Than that of man ; and in her starry shade 
Of dim and solitary loveliness, 
I learned the language of another world. 
(England, 1788.) —Byron. 



LITTLZ ZK:.:Z. c: 



CCLVI. 

The mountains look on Marathon, 
And [Marathon looks on the sea. 
(England, 1788.) — Byron, 

CCLVIL 

Beyond the -wild, dark-heaving sea, 
And ocean's stormy vastness o'er, 
There is a better home for me ; 
A welcomer and dearer shore : 
There hands, and hearts, and souls are twined, 
And free the man, and free the mind. 
(Conn., 1795.) — James G. Percival. 

CCLVIII. 

She walks the waters like a thing of life. 

— Byron. 

CCLIX. 

There is no other land like thee, 

No dearer shore ; 
Thou art the shelter of the free ; 
The home, the port of Liberty, 
Thou hast been, and shalt ever be, 

Till time is o'er. 

— James G. Percival. 

CCLX. 

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 

''This is my own, my native land "? 
(Scotland, 1771.) — Walter Scott. 



63 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCLXI. 

Nothing but leaves ! the spirit grieves 

Over a wasted life ; 
Sin committed while conscience slept ; 
Promises made but never kept, 

Hatred, battle, and strife ; 
Nothing but leaves ! 

— L. E. ACKERMAN. 

CCLXII. 

No longer let me shun my part 

Amid the busy scenes of life, 
But with a warm and generous heart 

Press onward in the glorious strife. 
(Mass., 1807.) —J. H. Bryant. 

CCLXIII. 

Dispatch is the soul of business. 
(England, 1694.) —Chesterfield. 

CCLXIV. 

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, 
two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. 
No reward is offered, for they are gone forever. 

(Mass., 1796.) --Horace Mann. 

CCLXV. 

There is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and 
sincere earnestness. 

(England, 1812.) —Dickens. 

CCLXVI. 

Honest labor bears a lovely face. 



67 



CCLXVII. 

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 
There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 
There is society where none intrudes 
By the deep sea, and music in its roar ; 
I love not man the less, but nature more. 
(England, 1788.) —Byron. 

CCLXVIIL 

In these desert regions, the mind loves to penetrate into 
an ocean of forests, to wander on the banks of prodigious 
lakes, to soar above the abysses of cataracts, and, as it were, 
to find itself alone before God. 

(France, 1769.) —Chateaubriand. 

CCLXIX. 

The effect of nature alone is purifying ; and its thousand 
evidences of wisdom are too eloquent of their Maker, not to 
act as a continual lesson. 

(Maine, 1807.) —N.P.Willis. 

CCLXX. 

All nature is but art unknown to thee ; 
All chance, direction which thou canst not see : 
All discord, harmony not understood ; 
All partial evil, universal good. 
(England, 1688.) —Alexander Pope. 

CCLXXI. 

Now is the winter of our discontent 
Made glorious summer. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 



63 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCLXXII. 

In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, 
Alike fantastic if too new or old ; 
Be not the first by whom the new is tried, 
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 

CCLXXIII. 

Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us 
in all the duties of life. 
(England, 1672.) — Addison. 

CCLXXIV. 

Good name, in man or woman, 

Is the immediate jewel of their souls. 

— Shakspeare. 

CCLXXV. 

Conscience doth make cowards of us all. 

—Shakspeare. 

CCLXXVI. 

If men cared less for wealth and fame, 

And less for battle-fields and glory ; 
If writ in human hearts, a name 

Seemed better than in song and story ; 
If men, instead of nursing pride, 

Would learn to hate it and abhor it ; 
If more relied on Love to guide, 

The world would be the better for it. 

— M. H. Cobb. 



LITTLE 3EMS. cS 



CCLXXVII. 

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, 
The bridal of the earth and sky ! 
(Wales, 1593.) — George Herbert. 

CCLXXVIII. 

O, sacred forms, how proud you look ! 
How high you lift your heads into the sky ! 
How huge you are ! how mighty, and how free ! 
Ye are the things that tower, that shine ; whose smile 
Makes glad — whose frown is terrible ; ' whose forms, 
Robed or unrobed, do all the impress wear 
Of awe divine ! 
(Ireland, 1784.) —J. S. Knowles. 

CCLXXIX. 

A primrose on the river's brim 
A yellow primrose was to him, 
And it was nothing more. 
(England, 1770.) —Wordsworth. 

CCLXXX. 

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit ? there is more 
hope of a fool than of him. 

— Proverbs. 

CCLXXXI. 

Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise. 

— Proverbs. 

CCLXXXII. 

Be wise to-dav ; 'tis madness to defer. 
(England, 1664.) — Young. 



70 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCLXXXIII. 

There was a sound of revelry by night, 

And Belgium's capital had gathered then 
Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright 

The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men ; 
A thousand hearts beat happily ; and when 

Music arose with its voluptuous swell, 
Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again, 

And all went merry as a marriage-bell. 
(England, 1788.) — Byron. 

CCLXXXIV. 

The setting of a great hope is like the setting of the sun. 

The brightness of our life is gone. Shadows of evening 

fall around us, and the world seems but a dim reflection, — 

itself a broader shadow. We look forward into the coming 

lonely night. The soul withdraws into itself. Then stars 

arise, and the night is holj\ 

—Longfellow. 

CCLXXXV. 

O Earth, so full of dreary noises ! 
O men, with wailing in your voices ! 
O delved gold, the wailer's heap ! 
O strife, O curse, that o'er it fall ! 
God makes a silence through you all, 
And ' ' giveth His beloved sleep. ' ' 
(England, 1809.) — Mrs. Browning. 

CCLXXXVL 

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death ! 
(England, 1794.) —Mrs. Hemans. 



LITTLE 3EMS. 71 



CCLXXXVII. 

In youth the heart exults and sings. 
The pulses leap, the feet have wings ; 

In age the cricket chirps, and brings 
The harvest-home of day. 
Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

CCLXXXVII I. 

'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now 
Is brooding, like a gentle spirit, o'er 
The still and pulseless world. Hark ! on the winds 
The bells' deep tones are swelling : — 'tis the knell 
Of the departed year. 
(America, 1802.) —George D. Prentice. 

CCLXXXIX. 

See truth, love, and mercy in triumph descending, 
And nature all glowing in Eden's first bloom ! 
On the cold cheek of death smiles and roses are blending, 
And beauty immortal awakes from the tomb. 
(Scotland, 1735.) —James Beattie. 

CCXC. 

Wisdom and truth, the offspring of the sky, are immor- 
tal ; while cunning and deception, the meteors of the earth, 
after glittering for a moment, must pass away. 

(England. 1764.) — Robert Hall. 

CCXCI. 
I pray the prayer of Plato old, — 
" God make thee beautiful within." 
(Mass., 1807.) —John G. Whittier. 



72 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCXCII. 

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what 
you can do well, and doing well whatever you do, without 
a thought of fame. 

(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

CCXCIII. 

A fool may be known by six things : anger without cause ; 
speech without profit ; change without motion ; inquiry 
without object ; putting trust in a stranger ; and mistaking 
his foes for his friends. 

— Arabian Proverb. 

CCXCIV. 

Thou who wearest that cunning, heaven-made organ, a 
tongue, think well of this. Speak not, I passionately en- 
treat thee, till thy thought have silently matured itself, till 
thou have other than mad and mad-making noises to emit ; 
hold thy tongue till some meaning lie behind, to set it 
wagging. 

(Scotland, 1795.)" —Thomas Carlyle. 

CCXCV. 

He who sedulously attends, pointedly asks, calmly speaks, 
coollv answers, and ceases when he has no more to saw 
is in possession of some of the best requisites of man. 

(Switzerland, 1741.) — Lavater. 

CCXCVI. 

Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, 
Lie in three words, — health, peace, and competence. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 



LITTLE GEMS. 73 



CCXCVII. 

The God of harvest praise : 
In loud thanksgiving raise 
Hand, heart, and voice ; 
The valleys laugh and sing, 
Forests and mountains ring, 
The plains their tribute bring, 
The streams rejoice. 
(Scotland, 1771.) —James Montgomery. 

ccxcvni. 

Vainly we offer each ample oblation, 

Vainly with gifts would His favor secure ; 

Richer, by far, is the heart's adoration, — 

Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. 

(England, 1783.) — Bishop Heber. 

CCXCIX. 

That man may last, but never lives, 

Who much receives, but nothing gives ; 

Whom none can love, whom none can thank, 

Creation's blot, creation's blank. 

(England, 1720.) —Thomas Gibbons. 

CCC. 

The quality of mercy is not strained ; 

It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven, 

Upon the place beneath : it is twice blessed ; 

Itblesseth him that gives, and him that takes. 

(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CCCI. 

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to 

dwell together in unity ! 

— Psalms. 



74 LITTLE GEMS. 



eccii. 

The keen spirit 
Seizes the prompt occasion, — makes the thought 
Start into instant action ; and at once 

Plans and performs, resolves and executes. 
(England, 1745.) — Hannah More. 

CCCIII. 

Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all 
my heart to do well ; whatever I have devoted myself to, I 
have devoted myself to completely ; in great aims and in 
small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest. 

(England, 1812.) —Charles Dickens. 

CCCIV/ 

Unto the one who labors, 
Fearless of foe or frown ; 

Unto the kindly -hearted, 
Cometh a blessing down. 

— Mary Frances Tyler. 

CCCV. 
Step after step the ladder is ascended. 

CCCVI. 

Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee. 
(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 

CCCVII. 

Fortitude, itself an essential virtue, is a guard to every 
other virtue. 
(England, 1632.) — Locke. 



LITTLE 3EMS. 75 



CCCVIII. 

Beauty is the mark God sets on virtue. Every natural 
action is graceful. Every heroic action is also decent, and 
causes the place and the bystanders to shine. 

(Mass., 1803.) — R. W. EMERSON. 

CCCIX. 

Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eyes. 
In every gesture, dignity and love. 
(England, 1608.) —Milton. 

CCCX. 

Good breeding is benevolence in trifles. 
(England, 1708.) — Lord Chatham. 

CCCXI. 

He's armed without that's innocent within. 

— Alexander Pope. 

CCCXII. 

How small, of all that human hearts endure, 
That part which laws or kings can cause or cure. 
(England, 1709.) — Samuel Johnson. 

CCCXIII. 

For me, my heart, that erst did go 
Most like a tired child at a show. 
That sees through tears the mummers leap, 
Would now its wearied vision close, 
Would childlike on His love repose, 
" Who giveth His beloved sleep." 
(England, 1809.) —Mrs. Browning. 



76 LITTLE GEMS. 



CGCXIV. 

Touch us gently, Time ! 
Let us glide adown thy stream 
Gently — as we sometimes glide 
Through a quiet dream. 
(England, 1798.) —Bryan W. Procter. 

CCCXV. 

She's somebody's mother, boys, you know, 

For all she's aged, and poor, and slow ; 

And I hope some fellow will lend a hand 

To help my mother, you understand, 

If ever she's poor, and old, and gray, 

When her own dear boy is far away. 

— Anonymous. 

CCCXVI. 

Why must the flowers die ? 
Prisoned they lie 
In the cold tomb, heedless of tears or rain. 
O doubting heart ! 
They only sleep below 
The soft white ermine snow 
While winter winds shall blow, 
To breathe and smile upon you soon again. 
(England, 1826.) —Adelaide A. Procter. 

CCCXVII. 

Here rest the great and good ; — here they repose 
After their generous toil. A sacred band, 
They take their sleep together, while the year 
Comes with its early flowers to deck their graves. 
(Conn., 1795.) • — James G. Percival. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCXVIII. 

Beware of desperate steps. The darkest day. 
Live till to-morrow, will have passed away. 
(England, 1731.) — Cowper. 

CCCXIX. 

But noble souls, through dust and heat, 
Rise from disaster and defeat 

The stronger. 
And conscious still of the divine 
Within them, lie on earth supine 

No longer. 
(Maine, 1807.) — Longfellow. 

CCCXX. 

Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again ; 
The eternal years of God are hers. 
(Mass., 1794.) — William Cullen Bryant. 

CCCXXI. 

Above all other liberties, give me the liberty to know, to 
utter, and to argue freely, according to my own conscience. 
(England, 1608.; — Milton. 

CCCXXII. 

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, 
Both when we wake, and when we sleep. 

— Milton. 

CCCXXIII. 

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 



78 LITTLE GEMS. 

CCCXXIV. 

Alas ! it is not when we sleep soft and wake merrily our- 
selves that we think on other people's sufferings. But 
when the hour of trouble comes to the mind or the body, 
and when the hour of death comes, that comes to high and 
low, then it is not what we have done for ourselves, but 
what we have done for others, that we think on most 
pleasantly. 

(Scotland, 1771.) — Sir .Walter Scott. 

cccxxv. 

When death, the great Reconciler, has come, it is never 
our tenderness that we repent of, but our severity. 
(England, 1820.) — George Eliot. 

CCCXXVI. 

Love would master self ; and having made the mastery 
stretch onward and upward toward infinitude. 
(America, 1822.) — Donald G. Mitchell. 

CCCXXVII. 

Real glory 
Springs from the silent conquest of ourselves. 
(Scotland, 1700.) — Thomson. 

CCCXXVIII. 

The truly great man is he who does not lose his child- 
heart. He does not think beforehand that his words shall 
be sincere, or that his actions shall be resolute ; he simply 
always abides in the right. 

(China.) — Mencius. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCXXIX. 

The solitude of childhood is not so much the mother of 
thought as it is the feeder of love, and silence, and admira- 
tion. 

(England, 1775.) — Charles Lamb. 

CCCXXX. 

The shadows of the mind are like those of the body. In 

the morning of life they all lie behind us ; at noon we 

trample them under foot ; and in the evening they stretch 

long, broad, and deepening before us. 

— Longfellow. 

CCCXXXI. 

The excesses of our youth are draughts upon our old 
age, payable, with interest, about thirty years after date. 
(England, 1585.) — John Cotton. 

CCCXXXII. 

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, 
and we see nothing but sand ; the angels come to visit us, 
and we onlv know them when thev are 2r>ne. 

(England, 1820.) — George Eliot. 

CCCXXXIII. 

I hardly know so true a mark of a little mind as a senile 
imitation of others. 
(England, 1554.) — Lord Greville. 

CCCXXXIV. 

Be not simply good ; be good for something. 
(America, 181 7.) — Thoreau. 



80 LITTLE GEMS. 



cccxxxv. 

How beautiful is night ! 
A dewy freshness fills the silent air, 
No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain, 

Breaks the serene of heaven. 
(England, 1774.) — Southey. 

CCCXXXVI. 

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! 
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music 
Creep in our ears, 
(England, 1564.) • — Shakspeare. 

CCCXXXVII. 

Night, sable goddess, from her ebon throne, 
In rayless majesty now stretches forth 
Her leaden sceptre o'er a slumbering world. 
(England, 1684.) — Young. 

CCCXXXVIII. 

Hear the tolling of the bells, — 
Iron bells ! 
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels ! 
In the silence of the night, . 
How we shiver with affright 
At the melancholy menace of their tone ! 
For every sound that floats 
From the rust within their throats 
Is a groan. 
(Maryland, 181 i.) — Edgar Allan Poe. 



LITTLE GEMS. 33 



CCCXXXIX. 

A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, 
and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood. 
(England, 17 14. ) — Shenstone. 

CCCXL. 

The liar, and only the liar, is invariably and universally 
despised, abandoned, and disowned. It is therefore natu- 
ral to expect that a crime thus generally detested should 
be generally avoided. 

(England, 171 5.) — Hawkesworth. 

CCCXLI. 

Unblemished let me live or die unknown ; 
Oh, grant an honest fame, or grant me none. 
(England, 1688.) — Alexander Pope. 

CCCXLII. 

Dare to be true ; nothing can need a lie ; 
A fault which needs it most grows two thereby. 
(Wales, 1593.) — George Herbert. 

CCCXLIII. 

Love thyself last : cherish those hearts that hate thee : 
Corruption wins not more than honesty. 
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, 
To silence envious tongues ; be just, and fear not. 

— Shakspeare. 

CCCXLIV. 

Learn the luxury of doing good. 
(Ireland, 1725.) —Goldsmith. 



82 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCXLV. 

The Accusing Spirit which flew up to heaven's chancery 
with the oath, blushed as he gave it in ; and the Recording 
Angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the word, 
and blotted it out forever. 

(England, 1713.; — Laurence Sterne. 

CCCXLVL 

Efforts to be permanently useful must be uniformly joy- 
ous, a spirit ail sunshine, graceful from very gladness, beau- 
tiful because bright. 

(Scotland, 1795.) — Thomas Carlyle. 

CCCXLVII. 

An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and reso- 
lute actions ; he is neither hot nor timid. 
(England, 1694.) — Chesterfield. 

CCGXLVIII. 

There's nothing bright above, below, 
From flowers that bloom, to stars that glow, 
But in its light my soul can see 
Some feature of Thy Deity. 

— Thomas Moore. 

CCCXLIX. 

Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties,, but of 
little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small 
obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the 
heart, and secure comfort. 

(England, 1778.) —Sir Humphry Davy. 



LITTLE GEM 

CCCL. 

Rest is not quitting 

The busy career ; 
Rest is the fitting 

Of self to its sphere. 
(Germany, 1749.) — Goethe. 

CCCLI. 

If hindrances obstruct thy way, 
Thy magnanimity display, 

And let thy strength be seen ; 
But O, if Fortune fills thy sail 
With more than a propitious gale, 

lake half thy canvas in ! 
(Rome, 65 B. C.) —Horace. 

CCCLII. 

Study then, I beseech you, so to store your minds with 
the exquisite learning of former ages, that you may always 
possess within yourselves sources of rational and refined en- 
joyment, which will enable you to set at naught the grosser 
pleasures of sense, whereof other men are slaves. 
■ (Scotland, 1778.) —Lord Brougham. 

CCCLIII. 
I hold, in truth, with him who sings 
To one clear harp in divers tones, 
That men may rise on stepping-stones 
Of their dead selves to higher things. 
(England, 1809.) — Tennyson. 



84 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCLIV. 

Hands of invisible spirits touch the strings 
Of that mysterious instrument, the soul, 
And play the prelude of our fate. 
(Maine, 1807.) —Longfellow. 

CCCLV. 

There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
Rough-hew them how we will. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CCCLVI. 

As yonder tower outstretches to the earth 
The dark triangle of its shade alone 
When the clear day is shining on its top ; 
So, darkness in the pathway of man' s life 
Is but the shadow of God's providence, 
By the great Sun of Wisdom cast thereon ; 
And what is dark below is light in heaven. 
(Mass., 1807.) — J. G. Whittier. 

CCCLVII. 

The soul secured in her existence, smiles 
At the drawn dagger, and defies its point. 
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, 
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, 
Unhurt amidst the war of elements, 
The wreck of matter, and the crash of worlds. 
(England. 1672.) —Addison. 



LITTLE GEMS. 85 



CCCLVIII. 

Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State ! 
Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! 
1 1 u inanity, with all its fears, 
With all the hopes of future years, 
Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! 

Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea ! 

Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee ; 

Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, 

Our faith, triumphant o'er our fears, 

Are all with thee — are all with thee ! 

— Longfellow. 

CCCLIX. 

What constitutes a state ? 
Not high-raised battlements or labored mound, 

Thick wall or moated gate ; 
Not cities proud with spires and turrets crowned ; 

Not bays and broad -armed ports, 
Where, laughing at the storm, rich navies ride ; 

Not starred and spangled courts, 
Where low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride. 

No : men — high-minded men, 
With powers as far above dull brutes endued 

In forest, brake, or den, 
As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude ; 

Men, who their duties know, 
But know their rights, and, knowing, dare maintain. 
(England, 1746.) —Sir William Jones. 



85 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCLX. 

Oh ! land to Memory and to Freedom dear, 
Land of the melting lyre and conquering spear ; 
Land of the vine-clad hill, the fragrant grove, 
Of arts and arms, of Genius and of Love, 
Hear, fairest Italy ! 
(England, 1800.) — T. B. Macaulay. 

CCCLXI. 

Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes, 

And fondly broods with miser care ; 
Time but the impression deeper makes, 
As streams their channels deeper wear. 
(Scotland, 1759.) — Robert Burns. 

CCCLXII. 

O, how grandly cometh Even, 
Sitting on the mountain summit, 
Purple-vestured, grave, and silent, 
Watching o'er the dewy valleys. 
And the stars leap out in heaven, 
While into the infinite darkness 
Solemn runs the steadfast stream ; 
Onward, onward, ceaseless, fearless, 
Singing runs the eternal stream. 
(England, 1828.) —Dinah Muloch Craik. 

CCCLXIII. 

It is easy finding reasons why other folks should be 

patient. 

— George Eliot. 



LITTLE SEH 57 



CCCLXIV. 

Your voiceless lips, O flowers ! are living preachers, 

Each cup a pulpit, every leaf a book, 
Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers 
From loveliest nook. 
(England, 1779.) — Horace Smith. 

CCCLXV. 

Spring is as many-colored as Autumn ; but now Joy 
scatters the hues daily brightening into greener life, then 
Melancholy dropt them daily dimming into yellower death. 
The fear of Winter then — but now the hope of Summer ; 
and Nature rings with hymns hailing the visible advent of 
the perfect year. 

(Scotland, 1785.) — John Wilson. 

' CCCLXVI. 

How noiseless falls the foot of Time, 
That only treads on flowers ! 
(England, 1770.) — W. R. Spencer. 

CCCLXVII. 

Bird of the wilderness, 

Blithesome and cumberless, 
Sweet be thy matin o'er moorland and lea ! 

Emblem of happiness, 

Blest is thy dwelling-place, — 
Oh to abide in the desert with thee ! 
(Scotland, 1772.) —James Hogg. 



88 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCLXVIII. 

What a piece of work is man ! How noble in reason ! 
how infinite in faculties ! in form and moving, how express 
and admirable ! in action, how like an angel ! in appre- 
hension, how like a god ! 



— Shakspeare. 



CCCLXIX. 

A day, an hour of virtuous liberty 
Is worth a whole eternity in bondage. 



-Addison. 



CCCLXX. 

Well, honor is the subject of my story. 
I cannot tell what you and other men 
Think of this life ; but for my single self, 
I had as lief not be, as live to be 
In awe of such a thing as I myself. 
(England, 1564.) —Shakspeare. 

CCCLXXI. 

To thine own self be true, 
And it must follow, as the night the day, 
Thou canst not then be false to any man. 

—Shakspeare. 

CCCLXXII. 

What in me is dark, 
Illumine, what is low, raise and support. 
(England, 1608.) —Milton. 



LITTLE GEMS 89 

CCCLXXIII. 

From the hour of the invention of printing, books, and not 
kings, were to rule the world. Weapons forged in the mind, 
keen-edged, and brighter than a sunbeam, were to supplant 
the sword and battle-axe. Books ! light-houses built on 
the sea of time ! Books ! by w r hose sorcery the whole 
pageantry of the world's history moves in solemn procession 
before our eyes. From their pages great souls look down 
in all their grandeur, undimmed by the faults and follies of 
earthly existence, consecrated by time. 

(America, 1819.) — E. P. Whipple. 

CCCLXXIV. 

Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and 
take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to 
weigh and consider. 

(England, 1561.) — Francis Bacon. 

CCCLXXV. 

Ideas are the great warriors of the w r orld. 
(Ohio, 1831.) — James A. Garfield. 

CCCLXXVI. 

Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much ; 
Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. 
(England, 1731.) — Cowper. 

CCCLXXVII. 

The first degree of folly is to hold one's self wise ; the 
second, to profess it ; the third, to despise counsel. 



90 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCLXXVIII. 

Habit is a cable ; we weave a thread of it every da}', and 
at last we cannot break it. 
(Mass., 1796.) — Horace Mann. 

CCCLXXIX. 

Nothing can work me damage except myself ; the harm 
that I sustain I carry about with me, and never am a real 
sufferer but by my own fault. 

(France, 1091.J — St. Bernard. 

CCCLXXX. 

They are never alone that are accompanied with noble 
thoughts. 

(England, 1554.) — Sir Philip Sidney. 

CCCLXXXI. 

Who can understand his errors ? cleanse thou me from 

secret faults. 

— Psalms. 

CCCLXXXII. 

The teachings of the grave have lifted men and nations 
up to lofty acts of duty and self-sacrifice. 

(America, 1810.) — Horatio Seymour. 

CCCLXXXIII. 

From Thee, great God ! we spring, to Thee we tend, 
Path, motive, guide, original, and end. 
(England, 1709.) — Samuel Johnson. 



LITTLE GEMS. 3J 



CCCLXXXIV. 

Because you flourish in worldly affairs, 
Don't be haughty and put on airs, 

With insolent pride of station ! 
Don't be proud, and turn up your nose 
At poorer people in plainer clothes ; 
But learn, for the sake of your soul's repose, 
That wealth's a bubble that comes and goes ! 
And that all Proud Fleshy wherever it grows, 

Is subject to irritation. 
(Vermont, 1816.) — John G. Saxe. 

CCCLXXXV. 

The man, whom I call deserving the name, is one whose 
thoughts and exertions are for others rather than himself. 
(Scotland, 1771.) — Sir Walter Scott. 

CCCLXXXVL 

Self-love is not so* vile a sin 
As self-neglecting. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 

CCCLXXXVII. 

Though a hundred crooked paths may conduct to a tem- 
porary success, the one plain and straight path of public 
and private virtue can alone lead to a pure and lasting fame 
and the blessings of posterity. 

(Mass., 1794.) — Edward Everett. 

CCCLXXXVIII. 

Thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of 

the wise sit in the clouds and mock us. 

— Shakspeare. 



92 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCLXXXIX. 

Full many a gem of purest ray serene 

The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear ; 

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 
(England, 1716.) — Gray. 

CCCXC. 

Down the rough slope the ponderous wagon rings ; 
Through rustling corn the hare astonished springs ; 
Slow tolls the village clock the drowsy hour ; 
The partridge bursts away on whirring wings. 
(Scotland, 1735.) — James Beattie. 

CCCXCI. 

Now in building of chaises, I tell you what, 
There is always somewhere a weakest spot ; 
And that's the reason, beyond a doubt, 
A chaise breaks down, but doesn' t wear out. 
(Mass., 1809.) ■ — Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

CCCXCIL 

There's the gate on which I used to swing, 

Brook, and bridge, and barn, and old red stable ; 

But alas ! no more the morn shall bring 
That dear group around my father' s table ; 
Taken wing ! 

There's the gate* on which I used to swing. 

(America.) — Ralph Hoyt. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCXCIII. 

'Tis done ! dread Winter spreads his latest gloom. 
And reigns tremendous o'er the conquered year. 
(Scotland. 1700.) —Thomson. 

CCCXCIV. 

The stormy March has come at last, 

With wind and clouds and changing skies ; 

I hear the rushing of the blast 

That through the snowy valley flies. 
(Mass., 1794.) — William Cullen Bryant. 

CCCXCV. 

These, as they change, Almighty Father ! these 
Are but the varied God. The rolling year 
Is full of Thee. Forth in the pleasing spring 
Thy beauty walks, Thy tenderness and love. 

— Thomson. 

CCCXCVT. 

Come thou, and brim the meadow streams, 
And soften all the hills with mist, 

O falling dew ! from burning dreams 
By thee shall herb and flower be kissed ; 

And Earth shall bless thee yet again, 

O gentle, gentle Summer rain. 
(Ireland.) — William Cox Bennett. 

CCCXCVII. 

There is no creature so small and abject, that it repre- 
sented! not the goodness of God. 
(Germany, 1379.) —Thomas A Kempis. 



94 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCXCVIII. 

Blow, blow, thou winter wind ! 
Thou art not so unkind 

As man's ingratitude ! 
Thy tooth is not so keen, 
Because thou art not seen, 

Although thy breath be rude. 

— Shakspeare. 

CCCXCIX. 

So the struck eagle, stretched upon the plain, 
No more through rolling clouds to soar again. 
Viewed his own feather on the fatal dart, 
And winged the shaft that quivered in his heart. 
(England, 1788.) — Byron. 

cccc 

Alas ! they had been friends in youth ; 
But whispering tongues can poison truth ; 
And constancy lives in realms above ; 
And life is thorny ; and youth is vain ; 
And to be wroth with one we love 
Doth work like madness in the brain. 
(England, 1772.) — Coleridge. 

CCCCI. 
Be still, sad heart, and cease repining : 
Behind the clouds the sun is shining ; 
Thy fate is the common fate of all ; 
Into each life some rain must fall, — 
Some days must be dark and dreary. 

— Longfellow. 



LITTLE GEMS. S3 



CCCCII. 

Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell ; 
Then shrieked the timid, and stood still the brave ; 
Then some leaped overboard, with dreadful yell, 
As eager to anticipate their grave : 
And the sea yawned round her like a hell, 
And down she sucked with her the whirling wave, 
Like one who grapples with his enemy, 
And strives to strangle him before he die. 
(England, 1788.) — Byron. 

CCCCIII. 

So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan that moves 
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. 
(Mass., 1794.) — William Cullen Bryant. 

CCCCIV. 

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself, 
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, 
And, like this unsubstantial pageant faded, 
Leave not a rack behind. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 



96 LITTLE GEMS. 



ccccv. 

In the lexicon of youth, which fate reserves 
For a bright manhood, there's no such word 
Ksfail. 
(England, 1805.) — Edward Bulwer Lytton. 

CCCCVI. 



The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest 

.vigators. 

(England, 1737.) — Edward Gibbon. 

CCCCVIL 



An idler is a watch that wants both hands ; 

— Cowper. 



As useless if it goes as if it stands 



CCCCVIII. 

Count that day lost whose low descending sun 
Views from thy hand no worthy action done. 

CCCCIX. 

They also serve who only stand and wait. 
(England, 1608.) — Milton. 

CCCCX. 

To all, to each, a fair good night, 
And pleasing dreams, and slumbers light. 
(Scotland, 1771.) — Sir Walter Scott. 



LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCGXI. 

It was free 
From end to end, from cliff to lake ' twas free ! 
Free as our torrents are, that leap our rocks, 
And plough our valleys, without asking leave ; 
Or as our peaks, that wear their caps of snow- 
In very presence of the regal sun ! 
How happy was I in it, then ! I loved 
Its very storms. 
(Ireland, 1784.) —James Sheridan Knowles. 

CCCCXIL 

True liberty can exist only when justice is equally admin- 
istered to all. 
(Scotland, 1705.) — Lord Mansfield. 

CCCCXIII. 

Was it possible that Napoleon should win the battle of 
Waterloo ? We answer, No ! Whv ? Because of Wei- 
lington ? Because of Bliicher ? No ! Because of God ! 
For Bonaparte to conquer at Waterloo was not the law of 
the nineteenth century. It was time that this vast man 
should fall. He had been impeached before the Infinite ! 
He had vexed God ! Waterloo was not a battle. It was 
the change of front of the Universe ! 

(France, 1802.) — Victor Hugo. 

CCCCXIV. 

O ! it is excellent 
To have a giant's strength ; but it is tyrannous 
To use it like a giant. 
(England, 1564.) — Shakspeare. 



93 LITTLE GEMS. 



ccccxv. 

Westward the course of empire takes its way ; 

The first four acts already past, 
A fifth shall close the drama with the day, — 
Time's noblest offspring is the last ! 
(Ireland, 1684.) — Bishop Berkeley. 

CCCCXVL 

We hold these truths to be self-evident ; that all men are 
created equal ; that they are endowed by the Creator with 
certain inalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness. 

(Virginia, 1743.) — Thomas Jefferson. 

CCCCXVII. 

England may as well dam up the waters of the Nile with 
bulrushes as to fetter the step of Freedom, more proud and 
firm, in this youthful land, than where she treads the seques- 
tered glens of Scotland, or couches herself among the mag- 
nificent mountains of Switzerland. 

(America, 1802.) — Lydia Maria Child. 

CCCCXVIII. 

God governs in the affairs of men ; and if a sparrow 
cannot fall to the ground without His notice, neither can a 
kingdom rise without His aid. 

(Mass., 1706.) — Franklin. 

CCCCXIX. 

A little fire is quickly trodden out, 
Which, being suffered, rivers cannot quench. 
(England, 1564.; — Shakspeare. 



LITTLE GEMS. II 



ccccxx. 

It matters very little what immediate spot may have been 

the birthplace of such a man as Washington. No people 

can claim, no country can appropriate him. The boon of 

Providence to the human race, his fame is eternity, and his 

dwelling-place, creation. 

— Phillips. 

CCCCXXI. 

The characteristic of heroism is its persistency. 
(Mass., 1803.) — R. W. Emerson. 

CCCCXXII. 

Hail, patriot Chief, all hail ! Historic Fame 
In purest gold hath traced thy glorious name ! 
Earth has Niagara, the sky its sun, 
And proud mankind its only Washington. 
(New York, 181 i.) — Alfred B. Street. 

CCCCXXIII. 

It is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate 
the immense value of your National Union to your collec- 
tive and individual happiness ; that you should cherish a 
cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it ; accus- 
toming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the palla- 
dium of your political safety and prosperity. 

(Virginia, 1732.) — George Washington. 

CCCCXXIV. 

Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and insepa- 
rable. 
(New Hampshire, 1782,) —Daniel Webster, 



100 LITTLE GEMS. 



ccccxxv. 

This government, the offspring of our own choice, unin- 
fluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and 
mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the 
distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and 
containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, 
has a just claim to your confidence and your support. 
Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquies- 
cence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the funda- 
mental maxims of true liberty. 

— George Washington. 

CCCCXXVI. 

The man who, for party, forsakes righteousness, goes 
down ; and the armed battalions of God march over him. 
(America, i8ii.) —Wendell Phillips. 

CCCCXXVII. 

Promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions 
for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as 
the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, 
it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. 

(Virginia, 1732.) — George Washington. 

CCCCXXVIII. 

Advance, then, ye future generations ! We would hail 
you, as you rise in your long succession to fill the places 
which we now fill, and to taste the blessings of existence 
where we are passing, and shall soon have passed, our own 
human duration. 

(New Hampshire, 1782.) . —Daniel Webster. 



LITTLE GEMS. 101 



CCCCXXIX. 

When my eyes shall be turned to behold, for the last 
time, the sun in heaven, may I not see him shining on the 
broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union ; 
on States dissevered, discordant, belligerent ; on a land rent 
with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, in fraternal blood ! 

— Daniel Webster. 

CCCCXXX. 

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firm- 
ness in the right — as God gives us to see the right — let us 
strive on to finish the work we are in : to bind up the na- 
tion's wounds ; to care for him who shall have borne the 
battle, and for his widow and orphans ; to do all which may 
achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among our- 
selves, and with all nations. 

(Kentucky, 1809.) — Abraham Lincoln. , 

CCCCXXXL 

It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to 
the unfinished work that they have thus far so nobly carried 
on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the greater 
task remaining before us ; that from these honored dead we 
take increased devotion to that cause for which they here 
gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here highly 
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ; that the 
nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, and 
that government of the people, by the people, for the peo- 
ple, shall not perish from the earth. 

—Abraham Lincoln. 



102 LITTLE GEMS. 



CCCCXXXII. 

Fellow-citizens ! ' ' Clouds and darkness are round about 
Him !" His pavilion is dark waters and thick clouds of 
the skies ! "Justice and judgment are the habitation of 
His throne ! Mercy and truth shall go before His facet" 
Fellow-citizens ! God reigns, and the Government at Wash- 
ington still lives. 

(Ohio, 1831.) — James A. Garfield. 

CCCCXXXIIL 

We cannot honor our country with too deep a reverence. 
We cannot love her with an affection too pure and fervent. 
We cannot serve her with an energy of purpose or a faithful- 
ness of zeal too steadfast and ardent. 

(America, 1786.) — Thomas S. Grimke. 

CCCCXXXIV. 

Let the battle -flags of the brave volunteers, which they 
brought home from the war with the glorious record of 
their victories, be preserved intact as a proud ornament of 
our State-houses and armories. But let the colors of the 
army, under which the sons of all the States are to meet and 
mingle in common patriotism, speak of nothing but union 
* — not a union of conquerors and conquered, but a union 
which is the mother of all, equally tender to all, know- 
ing of nothing but equality, peace, and love among her 
children. 

(Germany, 1829.) —Carl Schurz. 

CCCCXXXV* 

From envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness, 

good Lord, deliver us. 

._;.:_■!■- — Book of Common Prayer. 



LITTLE GEMS. 112 



CCCCXXXVI. 

Angel of Peace, thou hast wandered too long ! 

Spread thy white wings to the sunshine of love ! 
Come while our voices are blended in song, — 

Fly to our ark like the storm-beaten dove. 
(Mass., 1809.) —Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

CCCCXXXVII. 

Forever float that standard sheet ! 

Where breathes the foe but falls before us ; 
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet, 

And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us ! 
(New York, 1795.) —Joseph R. Drake. 



CCCCXXXVIII. 

The American Republic must live. Popular commo- 
tion and partisan fury may dash their mad waves against 
it ; but they shall roll back shattered, spent. Persecution 
shall not shake it, fanaticism disturb it, nor revolutions 
change it. But it shall stand towering sublime, like the 
last mountain in. the deluge, while the earth rocks at its 
feet, and the thunders peal above its head — majestic, im- 
mutable, magnificent. 

(America, 181 i.) —Wendell Phillips. 

CCCCXXXIX. 

Lord of the Universe ! shield us and guide us, 
Trusting Thee always, through shadow and sun ! 

Thou hast united us, who shall divide us? 
Keep us, O keep us — the Many in One . 

(Mass., 1809.) Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Dec. 2007 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 1 6066 
(724)773-2111 



SSs?*^^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




020 895 341 2 












: 



